The purpose of this notice is to clarify eligibility requirements of the Early Career Award in Chemistry of Drug Abuse and Addiction (ECHEM) (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAS-07-327.html) award for potential applicants. Investigators who fulfill the NIH definition of New Investigator are encouraged to apply.

In general, a Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) is considered a New Investigator if he/she has not previously competed successfully as PD/PI for a significant NIH independent research award. Specifically, a PD/PI is identified as a New Investigator if he/she has not previously competed successfully for an NIH-supported research project otherthan the following small or early stage research awards: